Victoria Azarenka(Belarus) Biography

The former World Junior No 1 from Belarus wasted no time making her mark on the senior tour climbing all the way up to number 1 in the world.

She is best known for her banshee-like scream when she hits the ball. It is so loud you can hear it all around the stadium and it has ruffled a few feathers on the International circuit. But she is generally a popular player and her best friend on the tour is the Danish player Caroline Wozniacki.

Born on 31st July 1989 in Minsk, Belarus she now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona. She has lived there since she was 15 and her friend and mentor is NHL goalie for the Chicago Blackhawks, Nik Khalibulin. The Russian girl lived with his family when she first moved to America and they now live around the corner. She said about Nik, "He is always there for me and I can talk to him about anything."

She finds being on the road and living out of a suitcase demanding, tiring and hard but says it is a small sacrifice to pay for doing what she loves. "Tennis is a global sport and it comes with a lot of travelling, I knew what I was signing up for when I decided I wanted to be a professional player."

Arazenka hit the headlines recently when she collapsed on court during her second-round match at the US Open against Gisela Dulko. She had been shaky all match and she was trailing Dulko 1-4 and serving when she keeled over clutching her side.

Paramedics quickly attended to her, putting towels on her legs and applying ice packs. It was thought that she was suffering from heatstroke as temperatures were soaring and she was taken off court in a wheelchair. But in the hospital she was taken to she was diagnosed with mild concussion after a fall at a pre-match training session in the gym.

"I was warming up prior to the match when I fell whilst running a sprint," she said. "I fell forward and hit my arm and head. I was checked by the medical team before I went on court and they were courtside to monitor me. "I felt ill as the match went on, having a headache and feeling dizzy. I also started having trouble seeing and felt weak before I fell. I was taken to hospital for medical tests and diagnosed with mild concussion."

When she wins a big match she likes to go out and celebrate by having fun in whatever city she is in. She looks for places where she can have a nice meal and listen to good music. She also says she is "just crazy" about shopping and a "shoe junkie." She loves to buy Gucci clothes and Diro shoes and she never fails to shop wherever she goes in the world. She also loves driving fast cars and wants to get a new Mercedes.